Kubota B20 Capabilities

[LBrown59]

Exactly...

Well, I traded a B20 in great shape for an L39 so I thought it was justified. But, I'm in business and the extra capacity of the L39 made it worth it. Like I said I would have liked to have kept the B20 also. ( Same thing happened with a lot of cool cars I've had in the past...)


Ah, but it gets the job done and is much, much faster than the "pine handle backhoe".

Lots easier on the old back too/

 

[Porshaah]

Gentlemen

Thank you for your responses you've been very helpful, but I'm confused in terms of how a B20 will perform compared to other tractors by just reading the specs. For example a B20 with a rear lift of 1014lbs has 20HP and 13.5HP @ the PTO weighs 1962lbs and has a valve flow of 12.7gpm. Compared to a B7510 with a greater rear lift weight of 1323lbs has 21HP and 17 @ the PTO weighs less at 1323lbs and has a valve flow almost half that of the B20 at 7gpm. Am I correct in assuming because the valve flow is less that the FEL and backhoe will not perform as well as a B20? Or in other words the backhoe on the B7510 will not lift as fast but can lift more than the B20?

All responses welcome

Thank you
Bill

 

[MarkV]

Bill the specs can get confusing. Having two of the Kubota commercial TLB's here is my take. The additional hydraulic flow on the B20 is there to provide better capacities with the loader and backhoe than most other tractors of similar horsepower. After all that is the market the tractor was designed for. As you look at specs. compare lift at the loader pins between the two. To provide greater flow the B20 has a larger hydraulic pump which requires more of it's 20 horsepower to run. As a result not as much of it's horsepower is available at the PTO.

I am surprised by the difference in the 3 pt. lift specs. The greater hydraulic flow of the B20 would suggest that it should have the greater lift capacity. Either way, with a tractor that size it would be unlikely you would be using an implement that weighted over 800 lbs. Also keep in mind that the 3 pt lift capacity has nothing to do with how well a backhoe will run. The backhoe is attached in a locked position on the tractor and is power completely by the hydraulic pump on the tractor. More pump, more power and faster response.

When comparing these two tractor you need to look at your primary uses. If you intend to run many PTO powered implements, rotary mowers, chippers, posthole augers, snowblowers and such then the higher PTO power of the B7510 is appealing. If your primary needs are loader and backhoe work the B20 was designed for that.

MarkV

 

[Porshaah]

Mark V

Yes the specs can be confusing and I'm trying to use one source (i.e. TractorData.com) in order to compare oranges to oranges. Rather than create a new thread as this one has a lot of background I was wondering how a BX23 or BX2230 would compare to a B20 or say a Ford 1910? The BX's are priced well and the HP is nearly the same as the B20 and the Ford is also priced well and the HP is greater than the B20. My main concern is whether these small BX's would be able to dig out around the foundation? I realize that they are probably capable but I can also dig out the foundaton with a spoon too - I'm looking for some opinions from those who have first hand experience or knowledge of these machines. I'm a patient man and I don't mind taking a little extra time, but would I get frustrated trying to use these machines?

All responses appreciated
Bill

 

[MarkV]

Bill the BX and the Kubota commercial TLB's are really not comparable. One was built for the small land owner and the other for the commercial contractor or rental yard.

There was a tread in the Projects forum where someone with a BX did exactly what you are planning. I can't remember the name but someone else may. They did a great job of documentation with lots of photos while installing drain tile around a foundation.

Rereading your posts makes me think that the foundation work is focusing most of your research to meet the needs of one project. That isn't always the best way to buy a tractor. The best tool for your foundation is a mini excavator, which here can be rented for $200 a day. They can work closer to a building and do less impact on the yard. They also can do that type of job much faster than the tractors we have been talking about.

For the rest of your tasks mentioned a BX machine may well be a good match. You need to go sit on one and see what you think.

MarkV

 

[dodge man]

I don't know if this helps, but don't confuse horsepower and torque. Diesel engines make torque, not horsepower. I don't even know why they sell tractors by horsepower. For example, my BX2350 is listed at 23 hp. Kubota also makes a B series tractor with a 23 hp engine. Its a bigger engine (10 cubic inches?) but makes the same hp. The bigger engine is going to make more torque even though the hp is the same. Alot of this has to do with the RPM's. The engine in the BX series rev to 3200 where the ones in the B series go to maybe only 2800 rpm's. More rpm's usually means more hp, but not usually more torque. So you can't always just compare hp. I'm guessing the engine the in B20 your looking at will not be lacking in power or they would have put a bigger engine in.

 

[Porshaah]

Mark V

Thanks for directing me to that thread - just the kinda testimonials I want to hear. I know ultimately I'll have to try these machines personally, I'm just trying to cut down on the travelling and gain as much knowledge before hand. The dealers/farmers in the area who I've tested equipment at were in sandy soil areas as opposed to where I plan on using it where the soil is loamy top soil but can turn into clay/rocky conditions a foot below the surface. So I would imagine this type of soil would demand more from the tractor. I've heard the term "industrial" being associated with the B20 and as Dodgeman mentions, torque is a factor which would make the B20 shine over the BX series - correct? Another thing which I assume is the duty cycle on the B series is greater and things like heat generated by the hydraulics would be less as the thread mentions this point. With the better flow specs on the B20 pump can I expect faster response to the controls and therefore more productivity. The gentleman in the thread said it took him 10 hours to dig 55 linear feet, with all things being equal would there be a significant savings in time had he been using a B20 or any other tractor/excavator?


Thanks again
Bill

 

[mzwillinger]

I bought a B20 in April of this year. I bought it with a little over 1,000 hours on the meter and have added about 20 hours since. I'll offer what I know and I'll offer some opinions and then add a queastion or two --- not trying to hi-jack your thread; the answers to the additional questions will help you too, I think.

I've not found the 20 hp to be a problem at all. The B20 was designed as a commercial unit with a larger hydraulic system. It was designed to be used by commercial plumbers and landscapers. I've dug up a small garden with the loader and pulled a couple of small (6") stumps with mine. The engine just sits there and hums along with no indication that it's loaded up at all. My problem is traction. I've got R4's on mine -- I've loaded them up with plain water and I'm still short on traction. My next step will be some kind of weight to hang off the 3 point --- probably a box blade. That should help a little more with the traction issue. I don't have a backhoe so can't comment on how it performs but I wouldn't expect any issue.

The loader is not a quick attach loader --- major work to remove it so just be aware of that.

Next for me will be a box blade and a flail mower. I think it'll pull a 60" blade and about the same for the flail mower and even a rotary tiller. That is a conclusion that I would like some added perspective on from the forum.

Any B20 owners out there that can speak more intelligently??

Hi Bruce! Did you ever get a flail mower and box blade? What size and how did they work?